Pet "Kids"

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I am commenting on Dogster's clip about pets being the new "kids". I have this before, but I will reiterate here and add that the reason so many dogs have behavior problems is that their people anthropomorphize them and don't relste to them on terms they can understand. My dogs and cats are absolutely part of the family, but I am NOT their "Mama"! They are NOT furry little people or living toys. DO NOT tell me I don't love my pets because I don't treat them like little bables--I love and respect them for what they are. I am happy when we accomplish something together, I worry when they are in trouble, and I hurt when I lose one. So--everyone may have a right to their perspective, but please remember that it's a two way street and it's not universal.

I agree. Not only does treating dogs like kids cause behavioral issues, it also causes one to miss the experience of having a relationship with another species.

BOL the fact of the matter is that my person likes dogs and doesn't like children. No dog kids here, that doesn't mean we aren't well cared for and that my person isn't willing to get us the best medical care.

At the end of the day, I really don't think it matters. As long as the dogs are given proper boundaries and shown proper leadership by their owners, your title does to them does not make a difference. To each their own.

I don't think the label matters. We have decided that unless we get a windfall soon, we are not having children at all, and our chis are definitely surrogates. That doesn't mean we don't treat them like dogs, it is just a label. The in laws call them grand dogs. We don't take exception to that.

we dress our dogs and knit for them, and make sure they have the best diet for their species that we can afford. If we had real children,each would have individual needs and personalities that would need to be addressed, and dogs are the same way. Not addressing the fact that despite being "children" they are dogs with canine needs would be bad parenting. Sothis whole argument about it not being ok to call a dog owner a dog momma or a dog daddy is pretty silly to me. Just let it be.